Strength
by KawaiiWonderland
Summary: It appears that while in such a hurry, Kumiko runs into some trouble! Not only did she bump into a certain Shizuo Heiwajima, she ran into a couple a' pervs, too! Now, who will save her and help her out? Reader x Shizuo
1. Help!

I do believe I was in too big of a hurry. It was late, and Ikebukuro got really dangerous at night. Sometimes the danger finds you. So, that always scared me into rushing home down my usual route. I ran passed a rather tall, blonde man. I think he's that bartender that I see every so often, but who knew? There were tons of blonde bartenders. I ran straight into him, barely reaching his shoulder as I did, which caused some angry shouts after me.

"Oi! Watch where the hell you're goin' kid!"

Kid. Geez, I know I'm short. Don't have to just assume I'm a kid. I was running past an alley way a few blocks by the time he could have decided to chase after me (angrily, of course). However, I was stopped by a couple of low-lifes, with nothing better to do than harass barely-legal girls.

"Hey, hey~ Kenji, lookit what I found~" one would say. He was a bit tan, wore a black beanie that made his long, red-dyed hair flip outwards. If he wasn't such a drugee, he could've looked like a hot musician, or something.

"Ohoho~ What a beauty~ We'll have fun, eh?" the other would snicker. He was slightly on the tubby side – not attractive, whatsoever. He wore a beanie, too, with huge plugs in his ears and far too big lips to even use to kiss someone. Ugh, he looked like a horribly drawn Buddha.

Fatso and Stick-boy approached me, and I nervously backed up into the wall. I was scared, yeah. I had a switchblade on me, though. So, I sneakily pulled that from my pocket and flicked it, before dangerously swinging my arm, giving the thin one a nice, big cut across his cheek. It was deep, and it was bleedin' plenty.

"Oooh, you're gonna get it for that." he growled, wiping the blood off and wiping it off on his jacket. How lovely. He ninja-kicked that blade right out of my hand, and it spun across the concrete sidewalk, hitting a kicked-over trashcan halfway. I winced, tearing up, then. "Heh," he licked his lips, the fatty staring in the background as he hungrily awaited his turn, "Now, sweetcakes, how about some playtime for Heizen, eh?"

That's when he pinned me against the wall, and I turned dark red, spitting at him, "G-Get off me, you pervert!" I tried to knee him where it'd hurt, but he certainly dodged that.

"Tch, not after this cut you gave me."

I gave a scream, and he shoved his lips against mine to silence me, and I tried to push at his hands, but the grip on my wrists only got tighter, probably bruising my weak little arms. I gave a whimper, crying lightly, but still struggling for all it was worth. He tried to slip his tongue into my mouth, and I hissed, biting his lip hard, and he yelped a little. His buddy laughed, softly, which got him a slap to the face to shut up. He did.

With a growl, this Heizen guy turned back to me, and I gave out another screen, and then I could hear footsteps. The other guys couldn't, though, and Heizen's hand started to slip down my pants and panties, and between my legs. I gasped and squirmed more, trembling and struggling to get free, my face red as I holler and yelp, even shouting for fire. A mouth bit down on my collarbone, and I panted for breath, whimpering and kicking weakly as I just felt my strength totally drain – what little I had. A hand squeezed and groped a breast, flicked over a nipple…

Then, I felt the weight lift off of me, and I slid down the wall onto my ass, my face red as I pull my legs to my chest and shake. It…was a blonde-headed figure. That same one I ran into!

A hard, violent kick was giving to Heizen's stomach, causing him to gasp and ram into a wall, which left a dent. The blonde man turned to Kenji, and lifted him, and threw him into the nearby dumpster, just in time to kick at Heizen, throwing him into the asphalt, and lift up Kenji before moving on to grab the skinny one, too. "Your kind…" the blonde growled, "make me really fucking sick, you know that?"

"Wh-What are you?" they both shouted, and they were then thrown into a nearby warehouse, crashing through the wall and probably K.O.-ed for a good while.

He was handsome. He had a good, square-ish chin. Sunglasses, though. I couldn't see his eyes, then. I then, realized, due to the destroyed streetlight nearby, that this was none other than Shizuo Heiwajima. I…couldn't believe he'd go out of his way to defend me! However, I was more than happy, at the same time.

"Sh…Shizu…o…-s-san…" I whimpered, and the next thing I knew, I was lifted, a bit roughly, into strong arms. Lithe, but certainly strong. My jacket was tugged around me, closer, and I nuzzled into the chest that I was being held to.

"Shut up." He said, a little harshly. But that's just Shizuo. The tall, blonde male started to carry me. Where? I didn't know. I was comfy in his arms, though. Pretty. Damn. Comfy. I didn't think someone with such strength could have such warm, soft-feeling arms. I ended up sleeping.

_It was so soft…_

_What are these, clouds?_

_I could just stay here all day…_

_And sleep…_

_Sleep…_

In a bed, was where I woke up. I rolled over, lazily, with a cute little sigh as I nuzzled into some soft, warm covers. I sat up immediately, though, scared to all hell and back, before realizing, for a second time, that a very lovely, slightly misunderstood man named Shizuo saved me. This bed was just as comfy as those arms were! Soft, fluffy, and warm!

My hand would move to brush my hair back, and I gave a tired groan. My wrists were hurting, and I looked down at them. Yep. Bruised. Wonderful, isn't it? I looked around the room, and this was obviously, now, not my house. "Ah…" I thought, looking around before sneakily sliding off the bed, "Where could he be…?"

"Back in bed." A voice demanded, and said, "You're exhausted."

Who was he, my daddy?

"But…"

"_No_."

"Ugh!" I huffed, and then flopped backwards, pouting and then moving to snuggle back into the covers, and then giggled some, "Okay~ If you say so…" I started to think about last night, though, and shivered. After a while, I started to cry softly. I could've been…taken… like that. It would have ruined my mind, no doubt. It was pretty fragile recently as it is.

A presence went to sit on the bed, and I could smell cigarette smoke. I nibbled my lip and peeked out, and his face – without those sunglasses, ooh~ those eyes – turned to look at mine, awkwardly.

"U-Uh…" I started, wiping my eyes and sniffling a little.

"Um…" he rubbed his neck, "Um… sleep…good?"

"Y-Yeah… thanks…" I blinked, and said, "Wh…Where'd you sleep? This bed is amazing."

"The couch." he took another drag of his cig, and flicked the ashes into a nearby trashcan.

I sat up a teeny bit, and tugged the blankets around me, "That's not good for you, you know. Did you know that cigarettes have four hundred n' three poisonous chemicals?" I looked up at him, and he stared right back.

"Who're you, kid? My mom?" he gave a dark chuckle, but put his cig out, anyway. But, I puffed my cheeks out, pouting. Childishly, of course.

"I'm eighteen, I'm not a kid!" I whined, and then crossed my arms, before sighing, "I dunno… maybe I am…" I flopped over, nuzzling into a pillow while my hair spilled out in all kinds of crazy ways. I gave a sigh, and closed my eyes, nuzzling more into the rather fluffy pillow of smoosh before peeking at him. He was staring, awkwardly. He obviously wasn't used to people just lounging about in his bed.

"Thank you…" I said, softly, and looked away, my face reddening, "for saving me, I mean. It must've been out of your way, I'm sure…"

"Don't thank me…" he said, quietly, but gruffly, "I was only making sure that didn't happen again, at least from those two."

"Mm… well thank you for your contribution to society, then, Shizuo-san."

"Nn."

I sat up, then, and kissed his cheek before saying, "That's another thank you, then, O kind hero of Ikebukuro." I giggle, and then stand, weakly, before collapsing back onto the bed, "Ugh… I gotta get back to the shelter, help with dinner, I guess…"

With a determined huff, I stood again, slipping my sandals back on and then tugging my jacket back around me. "I'll be going…" I was sad looking to have to return to the wretched place. Running with cockroaches, and prostitutes, and the like. I hated it. But it was where I lived since my mom died, not much to do about it.

"Shelter?" he blinked, and then grabbed my wrist. I winced, giving a little cry and jerking my arm away. He looked surprised, but he shook his head and pulled me by the hips to sit on his bed again, "No. You…"

A dark pink spread on his cheeks, and he huffed, "No shelter for you. You stay here." He nods, almost like some old sage, and says, "Just… don't mess anything up in here… and you get to cook dinner tonight." He gets up, stretching some, before I realized that he was in just his work pants. That body…that v-line… that… oh, lordy. I shivered, "Nngh…" I whimper, and say, "I don't have any clothes thooouuuughhh…"

"Then you'll get new ones. The only shelter that's even around is full of shitty people. I'm surprised you weren't…" he paused, and sighed, "Just… no."

I blinked. Was he normally this nice? Did he always invite homeless people to live with him.

…Wut?

I blushed some, "Th…Thank…you?"

A t-shirt and some sweatpants where then thrown at my face, and I fell over, giving an eep and shivering, "E-Eh?" I blink, pulling the fabric from my face and then saying, "Oh… clothes… Thank you." These…would be so horribly baggy on me, but still… dirty clothes? Ew.

So, I promptly tugged my shirt off! Only… oh. Right. There's a guy in the room.

Said guy's face turned red, and he covered his nose before he stood and walked into the bathroom to stare intently in the mirror, as if trying to prevent any sort of peek or… some things, to poke up. I simply continued dressing, tugging his pants up my slender legs, and tying the drawstring as tight as possible, so they hung on my hips a little nicely. The shirt was fairly long, but not too much. Must be an older shirt, then.

"Ah~ Thanks~!" I giggle, softly, and last night was slowly becoming just a scary memory, "Ah, what for lunch, Shizuo-san?"

"Shizuo."

"Huh?" I blinked.

"Just call me Shizuo."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

_Yeah, so, I hope that was decent enough for a start to a new fanfiction! I found there weren't enough Reader x ? fanfictions on the web, so I've decided to make one myself. _

_Shizuo's going to be a little OOC for a while, because I'm kind of rusty on writing about characters other than my own. So, please bear with me. I'd love reviews and whatnot, so please feel free. _

_And yes, there will be more chapters. :D_


	2. A Rude Awakening!

I'd awake a few days later to loud noises outside the apartment window, and groggily squirm my way over to the window, looking outside and blinking sleepily at the sight. Some black-haired man (with red eyes, as far as I could tell), was narrowly avoiding one of the apartment building's vending machines. I wince, and then watch out the window, still narrowly opening my eyes. "Uh…" I groan, and open the window, shouting out tiredly, "_**Shizuo!**_ Stop trying to kill that man, I'm trying to sleep!" I huff, pouting some and crossing my arms, the blankets finally falling off my head.

Both of the men pause, in mid-punch, and stare at me. Shizuo's cigarette fell from his mouth. I stare right back, and then move to rub my eyes, saying, "I finally get a good night's sleep for the first time in a long while, and I get woken up by a petty fight?" I glare, and Shizuo glares back, storming up to the window, making me look up at him, "Stay out of this, ya _brat_!"

"Who're you callin' a brat, ya unemployed bartender?" I snap, sitting up taller and staring him in the face.

A small, dark chuckle would escape the dark haired man. His red eyes seemed to glow with interest as he looked at me. He would step up to the window, push Shizuo aside gently, and then lift my chin with the most gentle touch I'd ever felt. I shivered, looking up at him, and he smiled. He didn't say a single word, just stared right at me as my face started to burn.

Before I could blink, though, a fist met this man's face, and Shizuo would growl, "Izzzzaaaaayyyyaaaaaa!"

"Izaya…?" I'd blink. So that's his name! I'd then watch as said Izaya skid across the concrete flooring, leaning out the window some. "_Shizuo_! Stop that!" I glare, and he paused a second, and shouted, "Shut up! I'm gonna kill him!"

"For _what_?" I yell, "You're just causing trouble people don't need!"

Shizuo turned, and glared at me, before turning around and shoving me over onto the bed, flying through the window to pin me down, glaring at me, his glasses having thrown off his face in an angry movement. I gasped, looking up at him, trembling as one of his hands wrapped around both of my small, bruised up wrists. I hadn't been as nourished as I should've been.

"Don't get in the fucking way of things you don't know the story to." He got pretty good up in my face, and I actually teared up a little, my eyes wide. It scared me. He was too strong, and it scared me. His eyes widened, then, though. At my tears. He backed off, putting a hand on his forehead and hanging it down in shame, as if he'd just done the worst crime in the world.

Meanwhile, Izaya was giggling, babbling about humans and how horribly predictable and unpredictable the same time they were. I'd look over to him, bruises on my wrists while I rubbed them tenderly, and said, "L-Leave, Izaya-san. I-I don't know who you are, but please…"

"And what would I get in return, later?" he chuckled, into my ear suddenly as he leaned into the window, and I jumped. Then, I just pushed him away, slammed the window down, and shut the blinds, my face red as I stormed off to the bathroom. Shizuo would blink, and was totally confused by the entire scene that just occured. "Kumiko…" he reached out a hand, feeling bad, but I'd already passed him. I slammed the bathroom door shut, and the shower could be heard. The blonde just sighed, standing, and walked off to the kitchen to get himself some milk, and start making some breakfast for me. Surprisingly, he could cook. It made me happy, most of the time.

I'd emerge from the shower smelling like strawberries and such, getting dressed in a hoodie and some pj-pants, seeing as I wasn't going anywhere today, and wandered into the kitchen. I'd blink at the splay of breakfast on the table, and then smile, sighing some. "Shizuooo…" I called, and he emerged from the hall with a grunt, and then rubbed the back of his head. I shook my head, smiling rolling my eyes as I sat down to eat, putting some food on my plate and starting to eat.

"You were scared," he said, as he sat down, "I…didn't mean to scare you. Really."

_He was so different around some people… _

"It's okay. I-I know you didn't mean to…" I nibbled my lip, and ate some bacon, sighing, "I mean... you're just so strong, and I'm so freaking tiny and um… not strong…"

"I'd never snap you in two on purpose." He said. A little blunt, wasn't it…? "I…I hate violence."

_He was such a contradiction. _

"I'm glad," I nod, glancing at him from my bacon (my plate was mostly bacon, actually...) and continued, "I trust you enough to stay with you, even though you just met me on the streets. I've heard countless stories about how dangerous you are and that you should be avoided, but… you don't really seem that way. All the time, anyways."

He blinked, looking to me, in mid-bite on some eggs, "Some stories?"

I nod, "I'm sure you've heard some. Pulled a man in two, threw a car halfway across the city, crazy shit like that…"

A nod would be given to me, and the rest of breakfast would be eaten in silence, before he got up to walk out on the balcony and have another cigarette. I'd shout then, "Dammit, stop smoking! I've got asthma!"

"I'm outside, get over it." He replied, calmly as possible.

"You're such an ass!" I snap, and then start to clean up the table, huffing and keeping busy, while he casually walked in after his smoke. He washed me speed across the living room, cleaning up trash and working off the frustration.

"Um…I'm gonna shower…" he rubbed his head, and wandered off into the bedroom. A moment later, you could hear the water running, and the shower floor creaking about.

His apartment was fairly nice. It was well decorated as well. Shizuo had taste! It was just littered with trash, was all. Lots of milk cartons and wrappers and such dotted the floors, and countertops. Especially in his room and kitchen. His TV was pretty much godly, too. One of the better ones, that's for sure. I honestly didn't know where he got all this, being unemployed and all, but I honestly didn't care, either.

After a good thirty-some minutes, I dropped the last bit of trash off the dustpan into the trashcan, and then put everything away, stretching some and then plopping down on the couch and laying across it, before curling in a little ball and resting a moment. I heard the bathroom door, and a few moments later a dripping wet, towel-clad Shizuo emerged from the bathroom. My eyes were closed, luckily, and so there were no nosebleeds yet. He had come out like that every time since I'd been here, but, that doesn't change the fact it was stare-worthy.

The tall blonde would grunt, and I'd sit up, fast, startled. "Oh, Shiz…uo…" I turn red, and then fall back over, hiding my face, "Do you not know how to get dressed after a shower?"

"It's my apartment; I'll walk around in whatever the fuck I want."

He smirked, and then looked over at me, "I'd walk around naked, even, but I'm not sure you'd survive that."

"Wha - hey! That's mean!" I sit up, blushing and pouting as he just totally teased me! I growl, and say, "You're a horrible host, you know that?"

"Not my problem," he grunted, and then stalked off to get him a drink, and I was left red in the face and snatching up the remote to put on a movie. After a while, Shizuo returned, plopping down on the couch with a towel around his neck, finally in some boxers, at least. I nibbled my lip a little, sighing softly and leaning on the arm of the couch while he drank nearly the whole damn milk carton from the fridge.

The movie was just some random corny romance-action-comedy crap, and I yawned an hour into it, resting back against the couch and eventually nodding off, curled up next to him and snuggled to the decorative pillow. The strongman blinked, looking over at me and then giving a sigh, grumbling softly to himself and then plopping the blanket off the back of the couch over my form, and watching the rest of the movie, quietly as he could.

Outside, the sounds of a motorcycle screeched across the road, sounding more like a horse than anything. I only barely heard it in my sleep. I'd only seen the legend once – apparently, the man on the motorcycle was a death god. That's all I had heard, ever since moving to Ikebukuro.

-x-

It had been about two hours that I just napped on his couch. And, upon my awakening, I found him sleeping with his head thrown back, snoring lightly, and blinked at the blanket over me. I giggle a teeny bit, sighing softly and sitting up, looking at him and then getting the urge to write on him. I didn't, though – he had just showered! I gave a soft giggle, and then pulled the blanket over him, standing and walking off to go make me a snack.

After a while, I heard a shuffling behind me, and he was rubbing his eyes tiredly, trying to blink himself awake. I look at him, smiling some and waving, "Hey sleepyhead." I finish slicing up my apple and then offer to make him something, but he pleasantly refused. I nod, and then hop up on the counter, eating my slices happily as he just watches groggily for a moment. I blush from being watched, though, and he shakes his head and stalks off to the bathroom.

After a while, I'd hop off the counter, and then clean up the small mess I'd made, and wander into the bedroom, tugging off my hoodie, adjusting my bra before looking over to the window, and then giving a shriek.

There was a person!

Shizuo came bolting out of the bathroom, barely tugging his boxers up in time to stare at the window himself. His eye twitched. His fist clenched. And the man outside jumped and ran towards the apartment door. Shizuo stormed off, and plopped down on the bed with a blink, tugging a normal t-shirt on and then peeking out of the bedroom.

There was yelling.

"S-Shizuo, calm down! Geez! I didn't know you had a girl over!"

A wall got punched.

"H-Hey!"

"Shut up!"

I blushed, realizing that this new person probably thought that… o-oh…

Shizuo continued, "I was helping her, that's all, Tanaka! She's stayin' with me!"

"Ah, ah~ I see. Right. Okay. Cool it, crazy." This 'Tanaka' person chuckled, and then peeked around the corner to wave at me, making me jump and blush, but wave back shyly.

"Well, I don't see why you haven't already, though~" he teased, and I eeped, turning red and then shutting the bedroom door a bit loudly, sliding down it, and listening intently to the other side.

Shizuo started to explain, with a slightly angered tone, what all had happened, and 'Tanaka' got really quiet, before a knock was heard on the door. I get up, and then open it slowly, still red in the face.

"My apologies. I wasn't aware of the circumstances. I'm Tom Tanaka, Shizuo works for me sometimes." He introduces himself, and I nod some, putting my hand out to shake and then saying, "Kumiko."

"A fitting name, indeed." He smiled, and Shizuo's eye could be seen twitching again, with annoyance.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

Alrighty~! Chapter two is_ done_~! I hope those of you who enjoyed chapter 1, will enjoy this one just as much! I introduced two more DRRR! characters, seeing as in the anime/manga/light novel series, everyone ties together somehow. And, hopefully, in maybe mid-series, everything _will_ tie together, and things can get interesting! I know it's starting off slow, but I promise that things are going to get more interesting!


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